Cruise Confessions 2017… Part 2: What I Learned…

In my previous post about cruises I gave a short summary on what I liked and disliked. Now here let me tell you what I would do differently. This could get a bit lengthy so I just will post what I found most important. Let’s start with something I find very important , electronic devices and Internet connectivity…

Internet on these ships is usually paid and it’s not cheap. So download any apps, movies, music or things you may want on board to your devices before the trip. This way, if you don’t feel like being by the pool or doing any of the on board events you can lounge around and watch a movie or read and listen to music while sailing to the next destination. There were a many times I wish I would have saved a movie or some songs to my laptop or phone. It was difficult sometimes even to just download a book or load a website.

I don’t know about you but I can’t live disconnected, I have cameras set up in my home to keep an eye on my house and pets while i’m away so I like to check in once in a while. I also have a job that could require my help if anything goes horribly wrong, in short I need internet!

If you do decide to pay for internet, it is VERY slow and not reliable (thankfully there were no work emergencies in my absence!). There were 3 service tiers available for purchase, the most basic tier is good enough to use social apps such as FB, SnapChat or WhatsApp but you can’t access websites or streaming video and VPN to a remote machine is out of the question. Even at the highest service tier you still may not be able to VPN or to stream video well. I alternated between the middle tier and basic one, it was ok enough to stay connected on whatsApp with my family and looks up my workouts and some info online. Also it is usually paid per device, never fear though, there is a way to share… Just set up a mobile hot spot or tethering if your device supports it and you should be set.

Next let’s talk about the add on packages they offer you. The cruise I took was all inclusive but this was only in terms of food, anything to drink besides tap water was extra. A separate drink package is offered that will cover whatever you may want to drink on ship, for me this included specialty coffee drinks, juices and bottled water which is the main reason I was convinces to purchase it.

This is what I learned; If you aren’t the type of person who consumes that much alcohol, do not get the drink package, no matter how much people say it’s worth it! Even though it includes bottled water and coffee drinks such as cappuccinos and wine for dinner; in my opinion it still didn’t make it worth the 400 dollars for the package. Also this way if you don’t have it, you don’t feel pressure to keep ordering cappuccinos, wine, or cocktails everyday to make it worth what you paid. I probably had an average of 35 or 40 dollars a day on drinks and that is just because I consciously tried to make the “spending quota” for what I paid. If I had not bought the drink package, I just would have stuck with regular coffee, I can survive without lattes for a week. I would have spent on bottled water anyway, but it’s still less than buying the package.

That’s all for this post, If you would like to hear anything else about my experience during my cruise or have any questions about the ship or islands I visited please let me know in the comments. Ciao!